Hunger Games Galaxies: District 6
by War292004
Summary: The sixth district of Hunger Games Galaxies. May the odds be ever in your favorite characters' favor. Part 6/13.
1. Chapter 1

**The Hunger Games Galaxies: District 6**

The Reaping cycle took place in Daath, as per usual. From the three large kingdoms—Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, Malkuth, and Daath—came to the central holy city to see which two teens from their world would have the dubious "honor" of entering the yearly Hunger Games between the Twelve Worlds of the Gods. Auldrant, known as District 6 to everyone else, often did fairly well in the games and, indeed, they'd had several victors in recent years, including Sync the Tempest and Arietta the Wild, the most recent and youngest of the victors.

The ceremony always began with a tandem reading of the Gods' will and the Score of Yulia Jue, which both explained the importance of the yearly Reapings to the continued survival of the world of Auldrant, and the justification for such an event in the first place. The fonic devices that captured their picture and video and sent it to the other worlds floated around the crowd of amassed possible tributes, stopping on several of the more important members in the crowd.

Luke fon Fabre had to resist the urge to smack one particularly clingy camera away from him. But a calm pat on the back from his best friend and former guardian, Guy, calmed him down. On his other side, Tear, Anise, and Natalia tried to stand with their heads high and faces expressionless, but Luke could tell from their shaking hands that none of them were particularly calm about the Reaping.

"Odds are none of you will be picked," Jade had said, shrugging at them before they entered the central square in front of the cathedral. "So when this is over, we have to get back to work on our own problems."

"Yes," said Ion, smiling. "Please, be careful… I'll be rooting for you all to make it through again this year."

"You don't happen to have any idea whose going to be picked, do you Ion?" asked Luke.

"Unfortunately, no," said Ion, sighing. "That was never part of Yulia's score… I think her justification was that it was to prevent the constant heartache of the family… or any who would try to defy the will of the Gods."

He was on stage, doing his part of the ceremony. Ion, as the head of the Order of Lorelei, was all but exempt from the Reaping; even if he was selected, there'd be dozens of volunteers for him. Nobody on the entire planet would even think of letting Ion enter the arena, not with his health. And especially not after what happened in Baticul the day they left.

Nobody was legally immune from the Reaping. So, when every child between 12 and 16 had had their names submitted for the initial Reaping back in Baticul, Luke, Guy, and Natalia had all been selected from a pool of well over 20,000 names, and they joined nearly 1500 sent from Kimlasca to Daath, with an equal number coming from Malkuth and about 700 from the Holy Empire itself.

When they announced that their beloved princess was among one of the names chosen, there had nearly been a riot. Several people had been injured by the response of the military and guards, until Natalia's pleas for calmness finally took over and calmed the raging crowd. Thus, the three friends had made their way to Daath, barely speaking to one-another, and were even more shocked and horrified when they'd arrived and seen that Tear and Anise had both been selected as possible tributes from Daath.

"And… there's more…" muttered Tear, sighing.

"What?" asked Luke.

"Asch was selected, too," she replied.

Luke had been searching for him all day long, but with no luck. Replicas had caused a strange and unique problem at the Reaping, with several instances of people trying to send their replicas in instead of the original children. But even so, Luke and Asch were decreed to be two separate people, and Luke's status as a replica didn't prevent either one from being put in the pool for the Reaping. And, as Grand Maestro Mohs, the unpleasant representative of the Gods, came forward for the first name, he felt his own stomach tighten.

"From the nearly 3,000 boys standing before me," he said, his voice echoing over the crowd. "Only one will have the honor of taking a spot in the Hunger Games… and that lucky man is… … … Guy Cecil."

Luke gasped and whirled around to look at Guy, who seemed momentarily stunned. Several cries from around them showed two of Luke's household maids, also selected for the Reaping, nearly collapsing into tears. As one of the floating fon cameras switched from Natalia's shocked face to Guy's, he affixed his usual, winning smile and started to walk away. Luke grabbed his arm as he passed, but Guy shook him off with a reassuring smile.

"And here he is! A big round of applause for this year's tribute!" Mohs said, grinning.

Much of the applause came from the remaining boys and their families, and it was only because they were safe. Guy gave a cheery wave and kept the grin on his face, making no effort to hide the empty tabard on his hip (all weapons had been confiscated as they'd entered, unfortunately). Mohs took his time as he wandered back over to the fon machine, which churned out a female name.

"And for the ladies' side… this tribute is… … … Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear!" Mohs practically shouted gleefully.

Before he'd even finished the name, the uproar had begun. Over two entire ships of Kimlasca citizens had arrived to support Natalia, and to a lesser extent, Luke, and they were all furious. Luke could only imagine the chaos going on back in Baticul; he knew this was being broadcast worldwide, as well as to the other Districts in the near future. And as she began to walk away from the group, disappearing towards the stage in the group of kids, the shock wore off.

"Natalia!" Luke cried, rushing forward, but before he could do so, he saw him. Asch.

"Now, now, Natalia, let's not keep the people waiting," Mohs reminded them from the stage. "You can say your good-byes a little later…"

Neither Natalia or Asch paid him any heed as he grabbed her wrists and spoke quickly to her, his face hard set and serious. And, as quickly as he came, he was gone, before Luke could see where he went. The cameras didn't follow him; they were resolutely on Natalia as she continued, now escorted by the Peacekeepers, to the foot of the stairs. Luke noticed that they were being very careful to not show the mini-riots from the Kimlasca citizens.

"Another exciting Reaping comes to a close!" exclaimed Mohs, the disgustingly evil look on his face. "And both tributes, this year, come from the country of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear; which means, a win for District 6 will be a win for Kimlasca!"

Mohs continued for a couple of minutes on this tangent, but Luke barely heard them. With the ceremony just about over, seeing them both on the stage made it final. They were both going into the arena… and only one could come back.

He started rushing towards the stage, but the remaining teens in the area weren't moving aside quickly enough to get by them. From behind him, he could hear Tear and Anise calling for him, but he ignored their cries. He knew what he had to do. If he could just make it to the stage, past those Peacekeepers, and show the rest of the worlds what they were about to do to District 6, then maybe they'd consider switching to someone else…

"I will not accept volunteers," Natalia suddenly said, stiffly. "I appreciate the thought, but, to my adoring citizens, I must firmly state my intention to compete in these Hunger Games."

Everyone fell silent at these words, and Luke's progress came to a screeching halt. Sure she knew that this was suicide… but she was facing it head on. Next to her, Guy moved forward as if to throw his arm around her, but he shivered and hesitated. His gynophobia apparently wouldn't let him do it.

Guy. Luke thought of all the times they'd had, back in the Manor, even with his terrible attitude. And their adventures around the world… and now he'd possibly never return… and Luke wasn't sure how he could handle that. He was… like family, a brother to him… and he needed to make sure he was okay.

_So… Natalia… or Guy…? How… how do I choose which one I want to survive…?_ Luke thought, tears of frustration coming to his eyes. He felt a calm hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Tear, who was also trying to hold back tears, with an already weeping Anise behind her. None of them knew what to do; they were all lost.

**Author's Notes:**

**Short explanation time on how this whole ordeal is going to work!**

**The games themselves are still in progress, so for now I'm only doing the intro stuff. All events that take place in the Districts will be in their appropriately-titled stories in the proper crossover section. Once that's all taken care of and it collapses into one story, I'll put the title at the end of each District Introduction Section (or just click on my author name to find it yourself). **

**The entire story is being decided solely on a complicated series of dice rolls, to prevent bias on my part and to make it so even I have no idea how this is going to end or who is going to win. **

**Let me be clear: this is not going to be an "everyone bands together and fights the evil powers and they all survive" story. As of writing this paragraph, eleven tributes are dead. So if you see your favorite character selected… well, don't get mad if they don't make it through.**

**That's all for now. May the odds be ever in your (favorite characters') favor.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Hunger Games Galaxies**

**District 6 Introduction: Part 2**

Luke only had a few seconds of time to panic before they could all hear the Voice of the Gods ringing throughout the stadium. Everyone quickly sprang to attention, hands over their heart, as the nearest screens were covered in images of the whirling ether of space above their heads.

"Luke, you have to be more careful here," hissed Tear, suddenly.

The young man was shocked to see Tear directly behind him. Not far beyond her, Anise struggled through the crowd, trying to catch up to them. Tear grabbed Luke's collar and pulled him back away from the stage while everyone's attention was focused on the screens and the Voice, who was going over more of the rule changes in addition to his usual introductory speeches.

"But Guy… and Natalia… they can't go the Hunger Games…" Luke whispered back, frantically. "We've got too much to do here… and with things between Malkuth and Kimlasca still strained…"

"I know that," replied Tear, quietly. "But if we make a scene here we're just going to spark a riot and a lot more people are going to die. Is that what you want?"

"… No…" Luke muttered, dejected. He turned back to the stage and noticed the shocked looks on Natalia and Guys' faces. He turned back to Tear, who was equally confused.

"Did you guys hear?!" Anise said, breathlessly as she burst through a small group of Malkuth teens. "They're not doing sponsors this year!"

"What? But… isn't that how the Gods usually get their sick enjoyment out of it anyway…?" Luke asked.

"They want to see the tributes work on their own this time…" said Anise. "Honestly, how'd you guys miss that?"

"Other things on our mind, really…" Tear said. "Wait… here come Peacekeepers. Quick, pay attention."

As the patrol passed, Luke and the girls turned their full attention back to the stage. Around them, everyone was whispering quietly about the rule changes, worried looks on their faces. Was the lack of sponsors due to Natalia being selected? Surely a princess would automatically give her favor with the Gods… or it could even put her more at risk for the more malevolent ones…

"And therefore, the Gods have decreed that, from each District, we shall Reap a second group of tributes, ensuring this year's Hunger Games provides even more entertainment than the last!"

"What?!" cried Luke, Tear, Anise at the same time, as well as Guy, Natalia, Ion, and pretty much the rest of District 6 all at once.

"You can't be serious…" muttered Luke. But then, he got an idea.

"And I suggest all of our Districts continue to follow _strict_ protocol. Do not incur our anger," said the Voice, before he faded out.

Grudgingly, Mohs returned to the girls' dish first and snatched another name out of it. He made his way slowly back to the microphone, unrolling the parchment as he went, until he was at the microphone. He read the name and, again, his mouth formed a savage, disgusting grin.

"Our second female tribute, then… from the country of Daath… Anise Tatlin," he read.

Anise was struck dumb momentarily. A fair few of the younger Ionian sergeants had been selected initially, and they all whirled around to face Anise, wide-eyed. From the audience, they heard a mournful wail rise up. It was Anise's mom, Pamela.

"Oh, Mother…" Anise muttered, rolling her eyes. Then, she fixed a cutesy smile to her face and, to the general astonishment of everyone watching, she began to skip through the crowd.

"Yes, yes, a big hand for our very own Anise!" Mohs said, grinning widely. "I daresay she'll prove to be a worthy tribute."

Guy and Natalia watched silently as Anise bounded onto the stage, twirled around and faced the rest of the world, indeed, the universe, smiling brightly. She was playing up her age and small frame for all the Worlds to see.

"So… that's her angle…" muttered Tear. "Lure them into a false sense of security…"

"How can you be so calm about all of this?" Luke hissed at her. "That's three of our friends up there."

"I know," replied Tear. "But… if I don't think of it like this… then I have to wonder… will they have to kill each other…?"

Luke hadn't even considered that. That's right… one victor. So… at least three of them had to die. But that wasn't right. None of them could die! District 6 needed them, all of Auldrant would perish without them… he started for the stage again, and was again stopped by Tear's firm grasp.

"The second male tribute…" Mohs said, after he managed to get to and from the bowl again. "Is none other than… Asch the Bloody."

Asch appeared again from the side stage this time, marching on to the front and center. Natalia already had tears in her eyes, and looked as if she could barely restrain herself from moving to Asch's side. He sneered at the audience and turned away from them.

"I volunteer!" cried Luke, suddenly, causing everyone in the immediate area to turn their heads in shock. "I volunteer as a tribute!"

"Luke! What are you doing?!" demanded Tear, as Luke broke free of her grip.

"Asch can't go to the arena and die!" shouted Luke. "I volunteer to go in his place!"

"We have not yet opened the time for volunteers…" Mohs said. "But… I suppose we can let that slide… a volunteer has stepped forward! State your name."

"Luke fon Fabre! I volunteer as a tribute for Asch the Bloody!" Luke called.

"Never!" roared Asch, with such ferocity that even the fon cameras shook back away from him. "You will _never_ take my place! You've already stolen my life from me, you won't take this from me too!"

"Don't be ridiculous Asch! You're needed here! You have to—," Luke started to protest.

"Shut up! I refuse to allow a volunteer to take my place!" Asch shouted, speaking to the gathered crowd. "I will fight in the Hunger Games of my own accord."

"Luke, you don't know what you're doing!" called Guy, from the stage.

"But… if that's the case…" Luke shouted, trailing off. "Then… I volunteer for Guy Cecil!"  
"What?! No, Luke, you can't!" snarled Guy.

"As… as your master, I order you to allow me to take your place and fight!" shouted Luke.

"What are you doing, Replica?" roared Asch. "We can't both go to the arena!"

"Actually… you have been declared as two separate people," Mohs interjected, grinning widely. "And in this case, the wishes of a master will supersede those of a lowly servant. Therefore… Luke fon Fabre will take the place of Guy Cecil, making him the first male tribute of the Hunger Games!"

Guy had to be manhandled off the stage by Peacekeepers because of the fight he put up. Both Natalia and Anise were shell-shocked and silent as Luke ascended the stage and watched the crowd around them react. He thought of his poor mother, watching from Baticul… surely the stress of watching her son go through this must be too great for her… and what about Master Van…? Was he watching, too…?

"You seriously intend to compete against me in the Hunger Games?" Asch said under his breath, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Luke as Mohs introduced them to District 6 and the Other Worlds.

"Whether you accept me or not, one of us needs to return here. So, like it or not, I'm going to help keep you alive," snarled Luke, quietly.

"What about Natalia and Anise, then? Are you just going to let them die?" asked Asch.

"No. I'll find a way to keep everyone alive. Nobody is going to die from this District," Luke hissed back.

"Are you stupid? If it comes down to it, the four of us will have to fight each other. Do you really think that the Gods would allow more than one victor?" Asch replied.

"This shall be my final announcement," came the Voice of the Gods suddenlly. "To each of our Districts… and to our viewing entities… there is one additional rule change to this year's Hunger Games. If the last 2, 3, or 4 tributes are from the same district, they shall be declared the victor, and the Games will end."

Luke felt his heart rise as Asch's face went from furious and horrified to something that probably resembled hope… at least by Asch's terms. Natalia and Anise both gave small gasps and giggles, and seemed much more at ease about the whole affair. But still there was a cold air of sorts between Luke and Asch, and the latter wouldn't look at the former, even when they raised their hands once more to the applause, cheers, and mini-riots of the audience in front of them.

Later, in the receiving quarters in the Cathedral, each of the tributes was kept separated from the others to receive people individually. For a while, nobody came to see Luke, and then Tear and Ion walked in, both looking pale and visibly upset.

"Luke… I… I wish you hadn't done that…" muttered Tear.

"Well… look at it this way, now we've got Asch on our side, too. He's no longer an enemy, but a strong ally. With him, we can't lose!" Luke exclaimed, bracingly.

"But they're going to seal your artes!" Ion exclaimed. "Your combat abilities, at least initially, are going to be greatly reduced. I don't know for sure how it's done, but it'd be a lot like what happened to Jade."

"Where is he, anyway?" asked Luke.

"The Colonel is currently assisting with peacekeeping outside," said Tear. "It's… well, it's a mess. All of the Kimlasca citizens are furious, and some of Daath. Malkuth, perhaps unsurprisingly, is only mildly upset."

"Actually, it's far worse than that," came a voice.

The door opened and Jade walked in, adjusting his glasses and frowning as he did so.

"Jade? What's going on out there?" asked Luke.

"It's a mess. There've been fights, assaults, and the Peacekeepers have taken dozens of Natalia's supporters into custody," said Jade. "I've been trying to negotiate their release, but…"

"And that means it's probably even worse in Baticul," said Tear.

"Yes, I imagine so. But at any rate… Luke, what you did was very foolish. For someone who still isn't 100% behind killing, you're certainly putting yourself in a very precarious situation, as well as diminishing the chances for District 6's victory," said Jade.

"I don't care about that!" Luke exclaimed. "It's just… this is something I have to do. Asch is my original. He's the one who can save the world better than I can. I want to make sure he has every chance to win in the Hunger Games, too."

"So you're entering it with no intent to survive, then…? You're simply going to be a punching bag so that Asch might have a better shot at winning?" asked Jade.

"We're all coming back," Luke declared. "Me, Natalia, Anise, and even Asch. We're all going to make District 6 winners."

"I… I think you can do it," said Ion. "I'll be praying for you every day."

"Thank you, Ion," said Luke, smiling. "It means a lot."

"Well I can see you won't be dissuaded, not that there's anything else we could do anyway," said Jade. "Good luck, Luke. Ion, I'll take you to see Anise now if you're ready?"

"Yes… Pamela and Oliver's time is probably up by now…" said Ion. "Luke… please make it back."

Once they were gone, an uneasy silence filled Luke's chamber. Tear stared at the wall, her right hand clutching her left elbow like she always did when she was uncomfortable or nervous. After a few moments, Luke finally spoke.

"Where's Guy?" he asked.

"Oh… he's… outside… he hasn't come in to see anyone yet…" said Tear.

"Is he angry with me?" asked Luke.

"Furious," replied Tear. "But… I think he'll get over it. He cares too much about you to not say good-bye."

"I don't think anyone else is coming to see me," said Luke. "Can we go visit the others?"

"I don't see why not," said Tear, shrugging. "But… Luke… before we do… I just… … please survive, okay?"

"Huh? Yeah… of course I will, Tear, you don't have to worry about me," said Luke.

"… But I do," said Tear, looking down at the floor. "Just… come back to Auldrant in one piece, okay?"

"Got it," said Luke, smiling. "We won't lose."

They went to Natalia's chamber first, but it was empty. Suspecting that she was visiting Asch, they instead went to Anise's room, where Jade and Ion were still discussing contingency plans in the event that nobody from District 6 made it back. It was a grim talk, and Jade seemed troubled by the thought of neither Luke nor Asch returning. Still, he seemed satisfied with the plans because he, too, decided the time had come for a brief stroll.

Jade walked them outside, well beyond the perimeter setup by the Peacekeepers, to a secluded balcony where they could look towards the distant hills for the Port of Daath. Below them, there were still screams and shouts and yells, and the occasional sound of some gun or fonic arte. Each one made them wince; was that someone simply being subdued or…

"Luke… I need to talk to you…"

Guy showed up, finally. His face was a mask of restrained anger, and his arms trembled worse than when he was hugged by Tear. Luke nodded and followed his friend back inside, down a corridor, and into a deserted room. Once the door was closed, Guy sighed. And then he turned around and promptly punched Luke directly on the cheek, knocking him over.

"You are _so stupid!_" screamed Guy. "You've really screwed up this time! You can't go into the Hunger Games; this isn't like our battles, Luke!"

"I know," said Luke, calmly, not even bothering to stand up. "But this is something that I need to do. I'm sorry for using my Lord-over-servant power… but… please forgive me."

"I can't… not right now anyway," said Guy, his fists clenched. "But you have to promise me one thing. You won't let yourself die in there. If you do, do you think I'll ever be able to live with myself?"

"Why does everyone think I'm going to die?" asked Luke, standing up and rubbing his cheek. "I've gotten really strong with my sword now. I won't go down easily at all."

"It's not the same, Luke!" repeated Guy. "Things are different in there. You never know what's going to happen, what weapons they've got, whose going to be an expert at different things… and you don't have all of us…"

"There's still Anise, Natalia, and Asch," said Luke. "We'll find each other and stay together."

"You have to, then. It's a promise, all right?" said Guy, extending his hand.

"Yeah… absolutely," said Luke. "I won't let you down."

They shook hands and, after a few more tense seconds, returned to the rest of the group on the balcony. They were surprised to see Natalia, but Asch was nowhere to be found. Luke sighed. He'd really wanted to get a chance to talk to Asch before they were put on the boat for the portal.

"Please, tell my father… that I love him dearly and will miss him," said Natalia. "But rest assured, I will come back."

"Oh… yeah… and tell my Mother and Father that I love them and won't let them lose me a second time," said Luke, as they exchanged final hugs and goodbyes with everyone.

"I wonder… do you think the Gods bless us with some sort of reward when we win?" Anise wondered aloud, rubbing her hands together.

"I think money will be the least of your worries if and when you win," Jade said, grinning. "It most certainly wasn't for me."

"… wait, what?" asked Luke, eyes bugging.

"Let's go," said the Peacekeepers, who had finally arrived to take them.

With final looks at each of their friends, Natalia, Luke, and Anise were escorted to a carriage, where Mohs was waiting for them. Asch was already inside, avoiding the crowds. It was a silent journey until they made it onto the large ship transporting them to the unspecified location for their teleportation to the Realm of the Gods. And once they were there, Asch and Mohs again left them, heading for their own separate rooms, leaving the other three on deck alone.

"Do you really think we can do this…?" Natalia muttered. "I was talking to Asch… and he thinks our best bet is to try and stick together as much as possible…"

"Well, from previous years, that's always worked for a time," said Anise. "But honestly the rules are a bit different this year, so it's tough to say what the best strategy is…"

"What if we form a group, like they did last year?" suggested Luke. "Districts 5, 7, and 4 all formed one big group and they did pretty well for a long time."

"They were eliminated, though," said Natalia. "It worked out until that guy from District 9 took them all out with a well-placed Explosion spell…"

"Actually… you know what… let's not talk about this right now," Anise decided. "Let's just get some rest; it's going to be a really, really bad week. We'll have plenty of time to talk strategy when Asch isn't being so moody."

"Good idea," said Luke. "Let's call it a day, then."

They began to walk towards their quarters, pausing only momentarily to watch the receding shoreline of Daath as it faded into the horizon and out of sight.

**Author's Note:**

**This completes the introduction for District 6. Once the remaining introductions are uploaded for the remaining districts, I will finally be able to start writing the story of the actual games to begin with, starting with the introductory parade and interviews.**


End file.
